SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 27, 2025) – The Western New England men's basketball team was led by junior forward Luka Vlajkovic, who scored 22-points on 10/10 shooting while hauling in nine rebounds for the Golden Bears, who defeated fourth-seeded Roger Williams University in the Conference of New England Semifinal round, advancing to Saturday's CNE Championship game on home court. 

Records:

• No. 1 Western New England: 20-6
• No. 4 Roger Williams University: 18-9

How it Happened:

The Golden Bears and Haws went bucket-for-bucket in the opening five minutes of the game as neither team could gain much of an edge to start. Tim Resall had an early five points for the Golden Bears while Mac Annus led the Hawks early, netting four quick points in the game. After a Nate Lopes layup to give RWU an 11-9 lead, Western New England would begin to find their stroke from the field as Jake Harrison and Luka Vlajkovic got to the lane on assists from Nate Kasper, giving WNE a 13-9 lead. Roger Williams would be piping hot from the three-point line in the opening half, but their mid-range game would be their downfall. RWU would hang around through the midway point of the first half when the Golden Bears began to stretch their lead. After being tied at 20 with 10:38 to play, Western New England ripped off nine of the next 11 points in the game, led by Matt Houde, who nailed a three as the shot clock was expiring, giving WNE a 29-22 lead.  The Hawks would fight back quickly, getting help at the free throw line to crawl back within three with 5:52 to play. Luka Vlajkovic would continue to score for the Golden Bears, picking up 14 points in the opening half. Nate Kasper would score the final two buckets for the Golden Bears in the last minute of the opening half, leading WNE to a 48-40 lead after 20 minutes of play. The Golden Bears started the game on fire, going 19/32 from the floor, 2/4 from deep, and 8/11 from the free throw line. Roger Williams had success from the outside, going 7/11 from deep and 9/13 from the free throw line to stay within eight at the half. 

The Golden Bears would get on the Hawks in the early goings of the second half and would never look back. Brian Geitner and Cody Palazzesi would can back-to-back triples in the first two minutes, giving the Golden Bears their first double-digit lead of the game. The Hawks would get back within seven after Mac Annus and Nate Lopes would continue to lead the way for Roger Williams. Western New England would again hit back-to-back threes with less than 13 minutes left in the game as Geitner and Eddie McCoy connected from distance, extending WNE's lead. The back-to-back threes would start a 13-0 run for the Golden Bears, capped off by yet another triple from Geitner, giving Western New England a 75-53 lead with 9:30 to play. The Golden Bears would go on another scoring run following a Ty Higgins layup, this time a 12-0 run, led by Luka Vlajkovic who had six more points to his total on the night, which gave Western New England a gigantic 87-55, 32-point lead. That would be all WNE would need to come away with the win as late hoops from Andrew Byfield and Max Jones would ice the game and send Western New England to the Conference of New England Championships, sealing a 97-65 victory for the blue and gold. 

Inside the Lines:

• Luka Vlajkovic would not miss on Thursday night, going a perfect 10/10 from the field while collecting nine rebounds and two assists in the win. 
• Five total Golden Bears were in double figures, including Brian Geitner, who put down four triples and scored 16 total points to go along with six rebounds. Nate Kasper was also perfect from the field for WNE, going 6/6, scoring 12 points while hauling in seven rebounds. 
• Tim Restall picked up 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists on the night to fill the stat sheet. 
• Cody Palazzesi was also in double figures for Western New England, going for ten points, two rebounds, and two assists. 
• WNE shot over 60% from the field in the game, going 20/32 in the second half. Western New England drained right triples and went 11/15 overall from the free throw line. 
• Mac Annus led Roger Williams with 17 points, going 3/5 from deep. Ryan Higgins and Ashton Leclerc were also in double figures for the Hawks. 
• RWU shot just 37% overall from the floor but made ten of their 22 threes. 
• WNE now has a four-game winning streak over Roger Williams, this time, ending their season. 
• Tonight is the largest win margin for Western New England in program history. 

Up Next on the Schedule:

• With their win, the top-seeded Golden Bears will host the other semifinal round winner, Suffolk University, on Saturday, March 1 at 1:00 PM from the Anthony S. Caprio Alumni Healthful Living Center. Suffolk is 2-0 this season against Western New England, the only team to beat WNE twice on the year, two of three conference losses for the Golden Bears all year.